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To Those Who Cry

Sounds like … inventive, piano-driven pop/worship reminiscent of Michael W. Smith and FFH, with folk and world music leanings a la Caedmon's Call and Paul Simon's GracelandAt a glance … both artful and accessible, To Those Who Cry aptly showcases 1000 Generations' burgeoning talent as musicians and worship leaders. Track Listing Only in Weakness Not of Our Hands Help Me Let Me Let Myself Be Loved Prove Us Wrong To Those Who Cry You Make My Skeletons Dance The Rest of the Way Break My Own Heart Your Love Never Fails Even Then Full of Love

It's not easy to be wowed by a new worship CD these days with so many mediocre and cover-song driven releases available&mdash;save for the few diamonds in the rough. And that's exactly what makes To Those Who Cry, the follow-up to 1000 Generations' impressive debut Prayers, so remarkable. Instead of the same hackneyed sentiments and run-of-the-mill soundtrack, the Indianapolis-based group manages to serve up something energetic and original, lyrically and musically. Imagine that.

Led by Steven Potaczek and his wife Amanda, who are also worship leaders at their local Vineyard Church, the band clearly has a knack for writing catchy, congregational-friendly songs&mdash;particularly "Not of Our Hands" and "Your Love Never Fails," a pretty piano ballad that wouldn't seem out of place in Michael W. Smith's catalog. But aside from an ear for church songs, 1000 Generations also mixes things up with the tribal feel of "You Make My Skeletons Dance," complete with jubilant horns and an affirmative message of God's forgiveness. While "Help Me Let Me Let Myself Be Loved" may be cumbersome as a song title, the message of God's love is loud and clear (and the percussion throughout is pretty cool to boot).

Also providing the necessary variation is the trading off of vocal duties. While Steven sings the majority of the tracks, Amanda gets her moment to shine on the moody "Prove Me Wrong," one of the disc's highlights. Her pure, unfussy approach reminds me of a cross between Ginny Owens and Caedmon's Call's Danielle Young, which also works well on "Break Your Own Heart," a song that also benefits from some quirky electronic accents.

Of this project, the band says, "We imagine music that is to the point, expressive, honest and vulnerable, transparent, and yet powerfully laced with the truth that we serve an all-powerful and loving God who ultimately cares about the details of our lives." With To Those Who Cry, the band has not only accomplished all that, but has helped raise the bar for worship music at large.

For more information about 1000 Generations and their album, visit www.1000generations.com.

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